


The Bespoiled Knight

by direneed



Series: The Rule of Daenarys Targaryen [2]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, F/M, Post-Episode: s08e06 The Iron Throne, Pregnancy, Sansa/Brienne of you squint, Ser Brienne of Tarth - Freeform, abortion mentions, border line between bittersweet and depressing, mentions of Jamie Lannister
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-02
Updated: 2019-11-02
Packaged: 2021-01-18 17:16:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21280358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/direneed/pseuds/direneed
Summary: Brienne doesn't quite get the happy ending she was aiming towards at the end of season 8.
Relationships: Jaime Lannister/Brienne of Tarth
Series: The Rule of Daenarys Targaryen [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1534031
Kudos: 13





	The Bespoiled Knight

**Author's Note:**

> This is slightly out of order, as chronologically, I can't post this as a chapter of my Daenarys the Oscillator fic yet (in the fic, I think I'm at only one or two days after the Battle of Kings Landing). This story takes place five months after the Battle. This is still going to happen in the story, but since I'm posting it now, it'll only be mentioned.
> 
> Sorry I was a little vague on the pregnancy details. I was not positive about how to write a period-accurate description.

It had been five months since she had last seen Jaime, since he had left her in the North. Since, Sansa had ascended to Queen of the North, and had appointed Brienne as Lord Commander of her Queensguard, which was more an honorary title then anything else (with Podrick being the other member, being knighted in order to do so). If anything, Northmen were well known for their loyalty to the Starks of Winterfell, but Sansa insisted that Brienne stay by her side. In fact, it was one of the few things that the Queen got sentimental about.

“You’ve been with me for so long Ser, I wouldn’t know what to do without you.” Sansa had told her shortly after her ascension. Brienne appreciated this, and had not felt someone genuinely care for her like this since her father. Since Jaime.

Considering her status, it was a shock to Brienne when she felt the quickening inside her. She wanted to weep. How could this happen to her? It made since though, her clothes and armor had not been fitting well lately, and she had overheard her maids saying that she had looked a bit rounder, but it was hard to tell considering how stocky she already was. In the early morning light, she quietly rushed to the Maester’s tower and knocked on his door. Wolkan opened the door, still half-asleep.

“Ser? What’s the matter?” Wolkan asked Brienne as she entered his chamber.

“I think you need to check me Maester. I have not bled in awhile.” Brienne said to the Maester. The Maester looked startled for a moment before nodding and ushering Brienne into his chamber.

\---

The Maester finished checking Brienne and nodded sagely.

“Yes Ser, you are with child. I expect that you will deliver in the next few months.” Wolkan confirmed, and Brienne finally wept. “Would you like to terminate?” he asked her.

“No.” she said through her tears. Wolkan bobbed his head as Brienne changed back into her night clothes and robe. In her hurry to leave her chambers, she had not thought to change. “Thank you Maester.” she mumbled as she left the room. Her next stop was Sansa’s chamber. The Queen was an early riser, so she expected she would be awake by now. She went to the other side of the castle and knocked on Sansa’s chamber door. “Queen Sansa?” Brienne said through the door.

“Enter.” Sansa said simply. Brienne did so, and saw that Sansa was changing into her clothes for the day. After all she had been through, Sansa was not a modest woman anymore, and at least when it came to her Lord Commander, she did not care how Brienne saw her.

“Queen Sansa-- I--” Brienne began, trying to find the right words. Sansa turned around, as it was not normal for her Lord Commander to be tongue tied.

“What is it Ser? You rarely come to my chamber so early in the morning.” Sansa said to Brienne.

“I am with child.” Brienne finally spit out. Sansa kept her composure, and her only show of surprise was a set of raised eyebrows.

“Whose?” she said simply, but Brienne guessed that this was only a formality on the Queen’s part. Sansa knew whose child it would be.

“Jaime Lannister.” Brienne replied simply. Sansa sighed, and held Brienne’s shoulder reassuringly.

“I suppose Podrick will ascend to be my Lord Commander for the next few months. Please help him find a suitable replacement.” Sansa ordered. Brienne nodded mutely. “We will talk to Queen Daenerys. You have served us both faithfully during your time as a knight, and it’s only right that your child is able to have the lands and incomes of Casterly Rock. I will have Wolkan send a raven at once to King’s Landing.”

“Yes my Queen.” Brienne said to her. Sansa smiled sadly at Brienne.

“I am sorry Ser.” Sansa said to the older woman.

“I am as well my Queen.” Brienne replied. In the end, it looked like Brienne would get what she never wanted.

“Go wake Podrick, let him know we will begin searching for another member of my Queensguard at once.”

“Yes my Queen.”

\---

Podrick was still asleep when Brienne entered his chamber without knocking. She knew knocking would not wake the man. Brienne sighed. War did some interesting things. The boy she had taken as her squire was now a full-fledged man. She was proud of him, but like many knights with their squires, she would never tell him directly that often. She did not want him to get big-headed after all.

She shook Podrick’s shoulder to wake him. If he had been on the ground, she would have used her foot like she had done many a time before when they had been traveling together. Podrick startled awake after a moment.

“Ser? What’s wrong?” Podrick said immediately. Brienne hardly ever woke him like this.

“You are to become the new Lord Commander of Queen Sansa’s Queensguard.” Brienne said to Podrick. Podrick’s eyes widened.

“Me Ser? What’s happened to you?” Podrick asked her.

“I-- I am with child.” Brienne responded. Podrick’s eyes widened. 

“You Ser?! Who--” he began, but then realized he already knew. “I am so sorry…”

“You are not the first one who has said that today Podrick.” Brienne said to him. Podrick sighed as he found a pair of trousers and stuffed his legs into them. “I am to become the Lady of Casterly Rock until my child comes of age.” she told him. Podrick looked sympathetically at her.

“It’ll only be for about a year Ser.” Podrick pointed out. “You’ll be able to go back to your knightly duties before you know it.” Brienne smiled sadly. If only it were that easy. She shoved him out of his chamber.

“Start looking-- I need to go back to my chamber.” Brienne told him.

\---

Brienne did not know what to do with herself over these next few months. Her and Podrick eventually found a replacement for her on Sansa’s Queensguard. Luckily, knighthood was not a requirement for Sansa, and neither was gender. One of the Manderly girls, Wylla was summoned from White Harbor and began training with Podrick to become Brienne’s replacement.

Daenarys came to Winterfell on Drogon to discuss Brienne’s obtainment of Casterly Rock, under one simple condition: that the child’s name would be Tarth, not Lannister. The child would not be informed of their roots in House Lannister, otherwise Brienne and the child would lose the Rock. Sansa did not like this, but she did agree in the end. 

As she got bigger, she got more depressed. Pregnancy did nothing for her looks. When she did eventually have the child, they were still at Winterfell. Brienne’s father Selwyn, was at Casterly Rock, preparing the castle for Brienne and his grandchild’s arrival. After the longest four months of her life, she gave birth to a big girl, who she named Joanna, in honor of Jaime’s mother.

They spent the first five months of the infant’s life at Winterfell, to make sure the child was ready to travel south. Once Joanna was ready, they began their journey towards a life that Brienne did not want, but for the sake of the babe in her arms, she would have to try.


End file.
